AFTER retiring I joined Durham County Cricket Club full of enthusiasm and with the expectation of seeing progress towards watching a competitive county side after five years or so. Not to be! After 11 years, I have just watched arguably the weakest championship XI ever turned out and the poorest batting performance I ever wish to see.

The blame for this can only be put down to the management of the club. It is time for new policies and obviously this means changes at the top level. A youth policy is commendable but the local, youth-mania practised by Durham was never going to succeed. Successful cricket teams across the world have had a blend of talented, inexperienced youth and seasoned, proven players.

If the current chairman's principal preoccupation is the club's financial standing he should bear in mind that to attract money he must provide an entertaining and competitive side. For years the fourth day's (and recently the third day's) play has been lost, short-changing both members and club. Around the country "one day cricket" is about lots of runs. At Durham it is always about attrition and rarely entertaining. This is no way to attract bigger gates.

Many changes are needed. For a start don't buy two "cheap" overseas professionals. Go for at least one big name, crowd-pulling, match-winning player.

Chairman, give us at least a chance next season. If you can't do that, then let someone with vision have a go. - W. Stockdale, Consett.

Darlington GALLERY

DARLINGTON council's statement (Echo, Aug 20) that the decision to close the historic art gallery in Crown Street was due to legislation setting out new standards "with a need for computer access for all" should be questioned.

What Act of Parliament? When was it passed? What does it say? What action are other local councils in The Northern Echo's circulation area taking to implement the "legislation"?

No account has been taken of published reaction to the proposed closure. An invitation-only meeting of eight or nine people concerned with exhibitions at the gallery was told that the council wanted to "engage in a dialogue with the people of Darlington". But there was no reaction to a petition signed by well over a thousand people opposing closure of the gallery.

No wonder so few people bother to vote. - EG Hill, Darlington.

IRAQ

GENERAL Eisenhower once declared that America was run by military-businesses. War is essential to them. It boosts the economy. It provides millions of jobs in the production of war planes, helicopters, ships, uniforms, arms of every description, tanks etc.

General Westmorland, Commander-in-Chief of American armed forces in Vietnam, was paid $1m per year, and given a seat on the board with the Lockheed Corporation. America lost 5,000 helicopters, at a cost of $2m each. How many he ordered is anyone's guess.

America lost this war, but did Vietnam invade America? I don't think so. So what was it all about? Tyrants like Pol Pot went on to slaughter millions. Three million people died in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and countless others had their homes destroyed by fire and their crops poisoned by Agent Orange. Three million? Were these people all "dirty Commies"?

America and Britain supplied Saddam Hussein with arms, chemical and otherwise, when he was fighting his neighbour Iran for eight years. You bet he is a tyrant. So is Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, yet Tony Blair and Jack Straw allow him to go on denying half of Africa of food.

But George Bush wants a war against Iraq, and Mr Blair won't say anything. - Jim Ross, Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear

THE United Nations at the moment is useless and, in many instances, makes things worse. The damage for the British will be if we ignore the threat we face from Muslim extremism, any form of terrorism and despots like Saddam Hussein.

Trust and living together in peace and friendship is one thing, turning one's back on responsibility and the need to be vigilant is another. - J Young, Crook.

FOLLOWING the publication of the pro-war letters of Christopher Wardell and F. Wealand (HAS, Aug 17), perhaps you will now rename your letters page Hear One Side. Or are you, like so much of the media in our country, now controlled from Washington? - Bob Hoggarth, Guisborough.

RACISM

PERJORATIVE remarks about black people (Peter Mullen, Echo, Aug 20) can be dealt with. It is what Caucasians might be thinking about dark skin that is beyond stopping. Let's wait for the day when there's a black president of America and only then gather hope. - Alfred H. Lister, Guisborough.

RAIL SAFETY

RE: your article (Echo, Aug 22), particularly to the matter of the incident at Great Heck, near Selby. This accident had nothing to do with any defective bridge or barrier.

The Land Rover, as I recollect, ran off the road before reaching the crash barrier on the bridge approach, running across country before dropping down on to the railway. - B. Langford, Richmond.

WITTON PARK

I HAVE just had the privilege of visiting the exhibition on Witton Park's remarkable history in Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

Although I was born in the "jam jar city" in the 1930s, I have lived in York for most of my life. I have, however, kept in touch with the Witton Park scene via relations and the media. I made it a priority to visit the exhibition, along with my brother and sister, when we heard that it was being based on the superb book compiled by Ken Biggs, Keith Belton and Dale Daniel, which they have lovingly prepared after years of diligent research.

It is a truly wonderful story and I would urge anyone who has not yet been to the exhibition to do so before Saturday when it closes.

As the title of the exhibition and the book says, Witton Park will be "Forever Paradise" for myself and doubtless thousands other Weardale folk. - Malcolm Huntington, Heslington, York.